Disclaimer: Anything written in this blog represents the opinions of the author, and no one else. Each blog is written lightly, and is not intended to offend any of the mentioned businesses, locations, students, or staff.

Imagine going to a school where you know no one. Imagine not having a guidance counselor telling you where you should go to college and guiding you throughout all of the school tours and paperwork. Imagine living away from home for the first time or supporting yourself with no help from your parents. Imagine wanting so badly to do well and feeling prepared to do so, but not knowing who you can trust and where there are resources to support you. These are the thoughts and realities that transfer students experience.

Their reality is scary yet exciting. These students come from all different kinds of places and educational backgrounds. Often, they have some work experience under their belt which has given them the motivation to further pursue their education. Because of their real life experiences, transfer students bring many things to the classroom that make UMass Lowell the unique University that it is.

Unlike freshman students entering college straight from high school, transfer students are often older and have already acquired the tools to succeed that younger, freshman students are still developing. These include a strong work ethic, time management skills, and professionalism that they learned in the workforce and from previous classes they completed before attending UMass Lowell. Although transfer students are entering a whole new world with new experiences and opportunities, they are adults who are prepared to do so.

Still, everyone needs a little guidance. That is the purpose of the staff of the Manning School of Business. They are not only at the University to teach academia, but also to guide students who are entering the college at every age and place in their lives. No matter how focused a student is, it just isn’t possible to do your best without being aware of the resources and connections that the school has to offer you. Knowing things such as where the Tutoring Center is located, who the Dean of your college is, and where there is someone on campus who you can speak to if you’re having a rough day is part of this.

The University and the Manning School of Business set up programs as support systems to assist students in their success and to thank students for their effort. Specifically, UMass Lowell and the Manning School of Business pride themselves in encouraging transfer students to continue their journey toward their degrees. All of the support that is provided for free is what makes all the difference in choosing UMass Lowell as your Alma Mater.

Disclaimer: Anything written in this blog represents the opinions of the author, and no one else. Each blog is written lightly, and is not intended to offend any of the mentioned businesses, locations, students, or staff.

First day of classes…Check! I love going back to school. Yet, I hate it so much. Maybe, I reserve the right as a college student to love hating it so much. Yup, that must be it.

Going back to school is a bittersweet feeling. Two weeks before college begins again, we sit at home in between doubles staring at pictures of our friends from school and the boxes in our bedroom that are already packed and ready to bring back to school. Then, as soon as the first flower buds appear come April, we moan and groan until we are let free to go back to mom and dad’s house and the bedroom we’ve had since elementary school.

Today, in my first Microeconomics class, my professor asked us if we were excited to be back in the classroom. About five hands out of forty rose, and at least three of those hands were those of brown-nosers. So, only about two people in the entire classroom openly admitted that they were excited to be back at school and in the classroom.

My professor then went on to explain that we were here at school for a service, which is education. Attending classes to receive this service is a price that we take willingly in order to, as adults, have more choices. Because we are going to college now, in our future we will have the option to continue education, earn a decent job, or pursue our dreams with a Bachelor’s Degree to our disposal. We choose to suffer, or to prosper according to the two excited students in my class today, a little bit in the classroom in order to educate ourselves which gives us more options as we grow older.

I think she’s right. As much as we moan and groan about our 8:00 am classes and about spending all of the money in our miniscule checking accounts on textbooks, the challenge is fulfilling. Although we know that with the school year comes hard work and high expectations, these obstacles are what make us better as individuals.

Ultimately, it is the fact that we are choosing to arrive on the first day of school that reminds the world, and ourselves, of the steps that we are taking to grow and to give back to our community. That being said, make sure to go to the second day of classes (and all of the rest), as well :-).